EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Lucius Cypher said
I can understand Alaria, but I'm sure Mar can tap into her maternal rage if something funny happens.

I don't know. she did just go through something pretty strenuous and exhausting, not to mention all the blood loss. The body does have its limits. Ssarak is kind of trapped in his own thoughts, but he's not completely locked off from the world. If someone else approached, he would likely pay attention to it.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Even though he knew Mar was far along in her pregnancy, he had certainly not expected to happen along her directly after the child had been born. Mar, Althalus, and for some reason, Alaira, were surrounding the small, half-reptilian child. He could not see too clearly from where he was, but it seemed rather humanoid in shape, with arms and legs. To an outside observer, the scene would appear disgusting. There was no shortage of blood and other bodily fluids scattered about, and the child itself was still a mess. Live births were inherently messy, and yet, Mar and Althalus were acting as if it were the most beautiful scene they had ever witnessed, because, to them, it likely was. The flood of joy and other emotions from bringing a child of one's own into the world would seemingly erase any other issues for Althalus for the moment, and Ssarak assumed it was at least partially the same for Mar.

Witnessing this scene made Ssarak's following thoughts inevitable. At first, it was fond memories of his own children which flooded his mind. He remembered when his first born was so small that her entire hand could scarcely fit around his finger. He remembered how she used to roll into a ball and chew on the tip of her own tail. He had to find a way to stop her from making it a habit before her teeth started to form, but it was one of the most satisfyingly cute things he had seen in his life up to that point, and indeed beyond it as well. Ssarak remembered the pride he felt when his oldest son completed his first flight, and how happy his daughter had been when she became accepted for training as one of the clan's hunters. Of course, such fond memories only served to lead him into despair once his thoughts shifted back to the attack. He vividly remembered the mangled face of his daughter as he buried her, the same daughter who had been celebrating her first kill as a hunter's apprentice only a week prior. He recalled how his youngest son, who had only just begun learning to speak, was hardly recognizable when he found him. Ssarak closed his eyes as tears formed in them. His hands trembled and he lost any form of concentration on mental wards. He said nothing aloud, as he did not wish to detract from the joy the others no doubt felt, but he could hardly bear the pain he was experiencing.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I cannot remember if I have asked this before, but if so, I have forgotten. Are Esyire viviparous, or do they lay eggs as other reptiles?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It is doubtful they have any deadly traps, at least none that are not manual. This is their home, after all, and they need to be able to come and go safely. Their greatest protection has been how well they have been hidden. You saw how well they covered their tracks; I doubt they expected anyone to be able to follow them here. They likely do have traps that will alert them to our presence, so watch your every step. The element of surprise will be key here." Meesei observe. After a brief moment of concentration, she cast a spell of muffle across the group to quiet their footsteps. She slung Sabine's potion bag over her shoulder and hid the rest of her equipment away under a nearby tree.

"Ahnasha, Fendros, take the lead with your bows. If we're lucky, you may be able to quietly dispatch a few before the fighting begins. Lorag, Janius, Sabine, stay just behind them. If you see that we have been spotted, quickly move ahead of them to take up the front lines. Once the fighting starts, Ahnasha, Fendros, and myself will provide ranged support while you three engage up close." Meesei ordered. As they advanced forward, the pack moved into their positions, entering the cave two by two to avoid crowding each other too greatly. Meesei was in the back just behind Sabine. Although her werewolf form was certainly small compared to other lycans, she was still larger than Meesei. They did not have too much room to maneuver in the tight cave, so Meesei hoped Fendros would quickly be able to exchange positions with Janius, Lorag, and Sabine if they were spotted. The others had experience with such maneuvers, but they had not had a chance to practice such specific maneuvers with Fendros yet.

Moving through the cave was just as Meesei had expected. There were bones on ropes hanging from the roof in easy to miss places that would certainly alert any nearby hunters to their presence, as well as small tripwires that undoubtedly activated more noise making traps. Due to the acoustics of the cave, any small sound would travel far, so they needed to be careful and keep any talking to a minimum. Fortunately, the cave's echoes worked in the opposite direction as well, as they were able to hear the hunters talking ahead well before they saw them.

Ahnasha carefully peered around the corner, making sure to keep herself in the shadows. She saw two hunters, clad in light mixes of fur and leather, sitting at a small, rotted table playing a card game while conversing about their last hunt. Directly beside them was a narrow passage which seemed to serve as a doorway into a larger chamber beyond. If she had to guess, she would say there were many more than just two in the chamber beyond, and these two were meant to be lookouts. If they took out these two quietly, then they would be able to surprise the next group. She nodded to Fendros, then took aim with her bound bow at the Dunmer woman on the right, allowing Fendros to set himself up to shoot the one on the left.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"As long as we do not fall too far behind, we shouldn't lose their trail." Meesei whispered. "Still, stay on your guard. Something about that ambush does not sit well with me, other than the obvious. I doubt these hunters just sit in that exact spot all day waiting for someone to come along, so someone must have warned them, but we have been following them since before the other pack even learned where to go. How did they manage to get a message to the hunters so quickly? It is not as if they could have sent someone to run all the way to their camp in the time they had. There is something else at play here."

Tracking the hunters proved to be a balancing act between staying far enough away not to be seen, while simultaneously keeping close enough to avoid losing their trail. Meesei and Ahnasha worked together to keep their scent hidden as they moved along, just in case there were Khajiit or Argonians among the hunters who could detect them. They kept a close eye out for traps, but it was doubtful they had traps that did not have to be activated manually in or around their camp. They had to live there, after all, so traps would just end up being more of a risk to their own people. They seemed to rely more on not being found, which, to be fair, they seemed to be doing rather well. Had they not allowed their rival pack to be ambushed, there was scarcely a chance they would be able to find the hunters' camp.

The group had been moving straight west from the ambush site for a while, and eventually, the hunters reached their destination: an unassuming cave hidden between large rocks at the base of a mountain, which was part of a range that separated the grasslands and forests from the ashlands. Meesei caught only a glimpse of the hunters as they entered the cave, it was enough to confirm that it was their camp. The hunters did not seem to have so much as a lookout on the outside, likely to keep from drawing attention to themselves.

"Alright, this is going to be close quarters, so we should plan appropriately. Sabine, perhaps you should give me your satchel of potions and take on your wolf form? There is not going to be too much room to maneuver in there so your normal tactics of evasion may not be as useful. More of us can shift forms as needed, but I definitely believe some of us should remain as we are now. We will need the variance of skills. Does anyone else have suggestions?" Meesei asked.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Hey fallen, I sent you message, in case you haven't seen it. Just want to make sure I did it properly first.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

"Annabeth believes we should bring gifts to Mar and Althalus for their coming child." Ssarak said, turning his head towards Annabeth with a slight grin. "I suspect she is suicidal." He teased. He took a moment to look at the pillow he was holding, which seemed small in his rather large hand. Perhaps, at the very least, Mar would appreciate the utility of the items. He did not know if the hybrid of a Human and a Naga would be cold-blooded, but an item such as a blanket would be especially useful if that were the case. Without knowing what kind of a form the child would have, it would be difficult pick clothing for it beforehand, if it was even going to end up wearing them to begin with. Mar did not prefer to wear clothing, so Ssarak was not sure if she would pass that onto her hybrid child. There were many questions he had no way of knowing the answer to. For all he knew, all of the items Annabeth selected could end up being useless; the child could have fully formed teeth with no need of having something to chew on and end up sleeping on a rock.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

"Well, I guess you'll end up the cook, then. Just keep in mind that you'll basically be responsible for morale. There's nothing a sailor appreciates more than a good meal. Well...almost nothing." Sharee said with a chuckle as Tagorn approached. The Bosmer seemed curious as to her plan of attack, which was a reasonable question, she supposed.

"I'll give the full details once everyone is here; I don't really feel like repeating myself a hundred times. I'll just say that, as much as I'd like to keep it quiet, I don't think most of this crew is cut out for a silent operation, so we'll do the next best thing. We'll strike quick and get out of the harbor before the guard has time to organize an effective response. I've been making some preparations over the past few days that should make it a bit easier on us. Just follow my lead and we'll be out as sea in no time." Sharee answered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The group kept up a steady pace until Meesei's necklace indicated they were growing close enough to Lorag to warrant slowing down. They moved cautiously and quietly until they spotted Lorag, then fell in behind him to follow his lead. He pointed out the faint silhouettes of the other pack in the distance, which allowed Meesei to take over the lead. It was easy enough to keep up, as the rival pack was moving cautiously...or at least they thought they were.

The rival pack had been following the map given to them by their contact, but when they reached the final location it pointed them to, they located the hunters in a way they never would have wanted. The other pack was between two hills when the ambush started. Without warning, blindingly bright balls of magelight emerged from the forest and landed near them, completely obscuring their view of their attackers. Lycans were able to see more easily in the dark than other mortals, with the exception of Khajiit, who they were on par with, but that meant that they were also more susceptible to drastic changes in light levels. Before the lycans could even move, the hunters ignited two walls of flame erupted ahead of and behind them, which were thick enough to prevent escape. The only ways for them to move now were up the hills on either side, towards the hunters. Then, came the arrows.

Meesei and the rest of her pack were laying on the ground, peering over a nearby hill out of sight. A wall of flames blocked their view somewhat, but they could see well enough to know what was going on. Meesei could hear the distinctive sound of crossbows emanate from the forest on both sides of the rival pack. A barrage of bolts came down on the pack, who had only recovered and were preparing to fight back. The Redguard was killed almost immediately by a bolt through his chest, which Meesei could only assume was made of silver. Others were struck in non lethal areas, but they were just as debilitated. Meesei could make out the faint outlines of ropes attached to the bolts, which were tied to trees on either side. If the lycans tried to move, especially if they had been hit from both sides, it would rip out the bolt, causing further damage. They would be forced to cut the ropes, which would serve a brief, but deadly distraction. The werewolf hunters were intelligent and calculating in their prioritization of targets. The lycans with ranged weapons and spells were targeted first, even if they were too blinded to shoot back accurately, while the hunters with destruction magic fired spells of flame and frost at the lycans with armor too thick to penetrate with bolts, such as the Cathay-raht.

The attack happened quickly, but even so, the Altmer leader managed to reorient himself and charge up one of the hills, shouting for the others to follow while using his shield to block bolts, arrows, and spells. Just as it seemed he might reach the top, a loud crashing sound rang out and a line of logs came tumbling down the hill ahead of him. He tried to move out of the way, but unfortunately was unsuccessful. He was tripped up by the first log, then crushed and sent rolling down the hill by the following ones. He and a few other of the surviving lycans began their transformations as a last-ditch effort to survive, but their fate seemed grim. Meesei could see the faint outlines of hunters emerging from the forest to finish off their weakened foes while they were vulnerable.

Ahnasha could hardly stand the sight of the slaughter before her. Even if the other pack were rivals, they were not enemies. They were all competing towards the same goal, for the same master, so she couldn't bear just to let them die. "Meesei, we need to do something. We can't just let them be killed like animals." She pleaded.

Meesei did not like the idea either. She wanted nothing more than to save their fellow hunters of Hircine, but unfortunately, that did not seem to be an option. "No, we cannot. As much as I want to, we might just end up in their trap as well. Besides, we have no guarantee the Orc is with this particular group. If we cannot track them back to their camp, we may never find him." She responded regretfully. Ahnasha nodded and lowered her head, unable to watch the slaughter any longer.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

Alright, just tell me in a PM what you wish to do with her.